FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEBREVARD COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATIONTuesday, September 23, 2008

BREVARD COLLEGE FOOTBALL SET FOR SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE OPENER

Brevard, N.C. – The Brevard College football team will have had two weeks to prepare for their South Atlantic Conference opener on Saturday afternoon, as the Tornados welcome the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears to Brevard, N.C. for a 2 p.m. kickoff.

The Tornados are coming off a much needed bye week as a number of players were nursing injuries from the rigors of the first three weeks of the season. Coach Hamilton and his staff were also glad to see the bye week come when it did, as the Tornados are looking to overcome a heartbreaking 23-20 loss at Chowan University back on September 13.

The Tornados are still looking for their offensive identity as BC threw for a school record 297 yards on 53 attempts in their 23-20 loss at Chowan two weeks ago, while rushing for only 37 yards for the game.

Offensively the Tornados will look to keep the Bears on their toes by going with a much more balanced attack. BC will look for running backs John Taylor and Tyrone Arrington to bounce back from a tough game at Chowan and help guide the rushing attack that had collected 253 yards on the ground in the first two games.

Junior quarterback Kye Hamilton, who threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns last time out, will continue to look for his receivers to make plays down the field. Look for receivers Donald Hudson and Shaton Pratt, who both had career days at Chowan, to stretch the field in hopes to open up the running lanes for Taylor and Arrington.

Offensively the Tornados are averaging 151.7 passing yards and 96.7 rushing yards per game, however, have yet to put a game together in which both the passing game and running game were complementary of one another.

Defensively, BC linebacker Stanley Jones has recorded 10 solo tackles and 12 assists with one pass breakup. Jones, along with linebackers Zac McAlister and Brandon Rawls will be asked to make plays against the Bears strong wishbone offense that is run heavy.

Shattered by injuries on the road two weeks ago, BC had a number of players that saw quality action against Chowan and will be asked to do so this week in the SAC opener. Jeremy Long, Justin Jefferson and Ricky Morton will all see a large number of snaps at the linebacker spots, looking to concentrate on stopping the Bears rushing attack.

The Tornados defense has allowed only 347 yards on the ground thus far this season, with 183 of those coming by way of Chowan two weeks ago.

The Lenoir-Rhyne Bears are coming off back-to-back losses after starting the season 2-0 with wins over West Virginia Tech University and Concord University.

The Bears have lost their last two games by a combined eight points and will again look to their new offensive look to continue to points on the board. L-R has outscored their opponents 108-60 on the season, having rushed for 12 touchdowns in their first four games.

Leading the wishbone offensive attack, which has rushed for 1,215 yards so far this season, is quarterback Justin Sanders. Sanders is only 7-of-20 for 160 yards and one interception on the year, however, he has rushed for 86 yards and one score. Sophomore fullback Andrew Courman has rushed 49 times for 209 yards and three touchdowns, while running back Jasper Thomas is averaging 6.5 yards per carry and has one score for the year.

On the defensive side of the ball, L-R is led by free safety Marcus Shuford who has a team-high 28 tackles and two interceptions. Linebacker Scott Turbeville is second on the team with 27 tackles, but has four sacks and seven tackles for a loss on the year.

The Bears have given up 580 yards on the ground and 555 yards through the air, while holding their opponents to only 15 points per game.

The kickoff time is slated for 2 p.m. at Brevard Memorial Stadium in Brevard, N.C. The shuttle buses begin running at 12 p.m. and the gates will open at that time as well, two hours prior to the opening kickoff.

You can catch the game via live broadcast brought to you by the “Voice of the Tornados” Rob Walden over the radio at WSQL 1240 AM or over the Internet at www.wsqlradio.com. You may also visit the Brevard College Athletics website at www.BCTorandos.com.